What do Echo and the Bunnymen, Super Furry Animals and an obscure group called The Land of Nod have in common apart from the fact that some of their members have been known to gather in a courtyard with the model Catalina Guirado and hoot like owls? They've all supplied artists to what's possibly the strangest pop group of all time.

John Peel may be the only 60-year-old in the country who can tell Echo & The Bunnymen and Polly Jean Harvey apart, which is why both acts agreed to perform in a basement on Tottenham Court Road, central London. Although Peel reaches the milestone in August, BBC Radio 1 is already celebrating with a week of gigs, featuring major names in low-key venues.